Type-10 Defender
The Type-10 Defender is a Lakon Spaceways ship that represents a comprehensive revision of the Type-9 Heavy. The Alliance commissioned Lakon to build the Type-10 to combat the escalating Thargoid threat following a series of attacks against Stations in the Pleiades Nebula. Announced on December 17, 3303, Lakon committed to an aggressive production schedule that delivered the Type-10 in volume to retailers the following week.Galactic News: Lakon Announces New Ship Lakon intended the Type-10 to be "particularly effective in combat situations".Galactic News: Type-10 Defender Now Available Overview The interior of the Type-10 is identical to that of the Type-9, including the same co-pilot placement. It also has the same hardpoints, however, it now has 4 additional large hardpoints; 2 on both the top and bottom, near the medium hardpoints. The utility mounts are similarly located in the same places, with a few extra dotted in symmetrical fashion Like the Type-9 Heavy it was based on, the Type-10 Defender is a slow, bulky ship, having the tied lowest manoeuvrability with it. It is, however, far more versatile than the Type-9. The Type-10 is not only faster than the Type-9; it has significantly stronger armour and with a very high hardness value, better heat management, double the utility slots, four added large weapon hardpoints, and two Military Compartments, making it a viable warship. In fact, the Type-10 on paper has both the highest defence and damage output of any ship. The Type-10 retains the Type-9's compatibility with Multicrew and ability to mount a Fighter Hangar. When compared to similar ships in its price range, those being the big three, Anaconda, Cutter and Corvette, the Type-10 has better armor and similar shielding to the Anaconda, as well as the single best theoretical damage output in the game. In practice, however, a situation where all hardpoints can converge on a single target is difficult to achieve, especially so with fixed weapons and against medium and small targets, due to the ship's mobility and hardpoint spacing. The ship works exceptionally well with turret hardpoints, having the highest number of size 3 hardpoints of any ship in the game, which is the largest possible size for a turret; this also aids it in covering its blind spots against small and agile opponents. With a Class 7 frame shift drive, its jump range is above average for a large ship and is superior to that of the Federal Corvette and Type-9, making it decent for jumps across the bubble. It should be noted, however, that this ship has low manoeuvrability in supercruise, which makes Interdictions difficult to perform and avoid. Unlike the Type-9, it cannot hold a class 8 Shield Cell Bank alongside its class 8 Shield Generator, although it has the advantage of a short shield regeneration cycle for its ship size, and a significantly more resilient hull. The Type-10's focus on combat-readiness comes with a trade-off in potential cargo capacity, as a result of its dedicated Military Compartments. The Type-10 can still haul more than most other ships and be configured into a well-protected heavy trader, but the Type-9's higher capacity and lower purchase price make it a more attractive choice for pure trading. The Type-10 also attracts the highest class of pirates, equipped with Anacondas or other heavy-hitters. However, its higher Mass Lock Factor enables the ship to enact swift escapes into supercruise. The Type-10 is a highly effective ship in PVE combat; having turreted hardpoints set to fire at will, can allow the ship to destroy most adversaries without the player needing to press a button, making it possible for the player to personally fly a ship-launched fighter without the need of an NPC crew member to pilot the Type-10. The Type-10 also features mobile structural elements, like the Diamondback Explorer. The ship's small wings are extended during flight, but will fold up when landing gear is deployed. The Type-10 has an available 12 piece cosmetic Ship Kit that can be purchased from the Frontier store which allows you to "remodel your ship in your personal style". The ship kit does not affect gameplay. Purchase Locations Outfitting All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Type-10 Defender. *''(L) = Loaned Module'' *''x# = Capacity'' *''(H) = Requires Elite Dangerous: Horizons, reserved solely for Planetary Approach Suite'' *''(M) = Military Compartment reserved for Hull Reinforcement Package, Module Reinforcement Package, or Shield Cell Bank'' Trivia *The Type-10 Defender's existence was accidentally revealed on August 17, 2017, in an in-game list of Multicrew-capable ships.Steam User Images: Screenshot of the new Multicrew tab, with a list of Multicrew-capable ships, in the Comms menu as seen in the 2.4 beta It was immediately speculated to be a renamed Panther Clipper, a heavy cargo ship which had been expected for years and hinted at in concept art for Elite Dangerous: Horizons, but this was debunked by Frontier Developments.Frontier Forums: Type-10 Defender, new ship (not yet purchasable) Frontier subsequently teased an unidentified new ship that was assumed to be the Type-10 in a trailer for upcoming 2.4 content at Frontier Expo 2017, but it was not until December 15, 2017 that the ship was officially announced via the weekly Elite Dangerous Newsletter.Elite Dangerous Newsletter #205 (December 15, 2017) The Type-10 was finally made available in-game on December 20, 2017 as part of update 2.4, The Return. *Upon its initial release, the Type-10 retained the same Cargo capacity as the Type-9, in addition to having superior performance in almost all other areas. In the next patch, the Type-9 received an additional Class 8 compartment, bringing its total cargo capacity closer to the Imperial Cutter's. *The Type-10's original in-game description used to read: "The Type-10 Defender is the result of collaboration between the Alliance and Lakon Spaceways. With the threat of xeno-war looming, the Alliance's naval arm saw the urgent need for a weapons platform capable of withstanding heavy, sustained attack. Utilising a reinforced Type-9 chassis as a starting point, Lakon overhauled and geared every aspect of the design for combat, producing a military behemoth that could be produced in volume at short notice." This was likely revised because the Anti-Xeno (AX) community unanimously agreed that it is a poor AX ship and were very vocal in their opinion of the ship. Videos Type_10_Defender Elite_Dangerous_Type_10_landing_on_a_planet_(daytime) File:The Type-10 Defender Elite Dangerous Gallery Type-10 Defender FX17 screenshot.png|First glimpse of the Type-10 Defender before its reveal Type-10 Defender front.png|A front view of the Defender Type-10-Defender-Terrestrial-Planet.png|Type-10 Defender and a Terrestrial Planet Type-10-Ship-Cockpit.png|Type-10 cockpit Type-10-Defender-Wing.png|Type-10 Defender in a wing Type-10-Defender-Interceptor.png|Type-10 Defender and Interceptor Type-10-Defender-Asteroid-Base.png|Type-10 Defender and an Asteroid Base Type-10-Mining-Exploding-Asteroid.png|Type-10 mining, exploding asteroid Diamondback-Explorer-SRV-Type-10-Top-View.png|Type-10 with Diamondback Explorer and SRV 20171221174206_1.jpg|Internals of the Type-10 20171221162213 1.jpg|Bottom view of the Type-10 20171221163040_1.jpg|Reverse thrusters firing Type-10-Defender-Blueprint.png|Type-10 Defender Blueprint References ru:Type-10 Defender Category:Lakon Spaceways Category:Freighters